Washington County Republican Women Donate to DSU

Washington County Republican Women Donate to DSU

Tuesday, December 9th, 2014
Representatives from the Washington County Republican Women organization (WCRW) visited Dixie State University Monday afternoon to present a $15,500 donation to the "Embracing Our Heroes" Scholarship fund,

which benefits and honors veterans and spouses of the servicemen and women of the Utah National Guard's 222nd Field Artillery Unit. WCRW president LaRene Cox, along with secretary Judy Houston, treasurer LaStar Richens and "Embracing Our Heroes" chair Wilma Courtney and other representatives presented a check to DSU President Dr. Richard B. Williams and Vice President Brad Last in a brief ceremony.
The "Embracing Our Heroes" scholarship, which is part of the "Caring for America" outreach program, was established at Dixie State in 2007 to honor of veterans of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts, with priority shown to 222nd veterans and their families. To date, the WCRW "Caring for America" program has raised just over $30,000 for the scholarship, which has assisted 16 veterans and/or family members to pursue a college education at Dixie State over the past eight years.
The donated monies will go toward funding partial scholarships, which provide financial assistance with college expenses, including tuition, books and college fees primarily to spouses of veterans or active servicemen and women of the 222nd who meet specific academic qualifications and demonstrate financial need. The DSU financial aid office will determine the financial need.
Part of the WCRW charter is supporting the military through the "Caring for America" program, where members engage in charity work, community work and support of the military and their families. The WCRW scholarship was created to honor the 222nd for the service the unit provided in both conflicts. Monies for the scholarship are generated through a number of fundraising efforts, including the annual Freedom Run held each April in Bloomington, and a quilt opportunity drawing fundraiser held in conjunction with the annual Lincoln Day Breakfast in February. The quilt has become an annual staple of the scholarship fundraising campaign, thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Courtney and Colleen Willis.
"This is the true definition of grass roots fundraising," said Brad Last, DSU Vice President of Development. "The creation of these quilts and the support this organization has given to our military and their families, who have sacrificed so much on our behalf, is a true labor of love. We are very appreciative of this donation and we look forward to serving the educational need of our returning veterans and their families at Dixie State University."
To qualify for the scholarship, the potential recipient must live in Washington County, be married to a veteran of either the second Iraq War or the conflict in Afghanistan, and must have a 3.00 or higher academic grade point average or better.
For more information about the scholarship or to apply, please contact Sue Perschon in the DSU Financial Aid office at 435-652-7578. To find out more about donating to the DSU "Embracing Our Heroes" scholarship, please contact DSU Vice President of Development Brad Last at 435-652-7858.